Josiah Pierce
Josiah G. Pierce, 31, died on July 19, 2023, while held at the Inverness Jail in Portland. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said staff found him unresponsive in his cell, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. In December 2023, Willamette Week reported from an autopsy report that the medical examiner ruled his death accidental, with fentanyl toxicity as the immediate cause, and that deputies found suspected fentanyl residue in his cell. The same report said he had been taken to the emergency room the day before his death after an ingestion of an unknown substance that was not witnessed, and that he was discharged after declining a urine sample.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose. The medical examiner ruled his death accidental from fentanyl toxicity, while the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office listed the manner as pending when it announced the death.
Reported by: Multnomah County Medical Examiner (medical examiner or coroner); Multnomah County Sheriff's Office deputies (the agency that held him).